NPSOT Fall Symposium 2023

The NPSOT 2023 Fall Symposium is coming to Nacogdoches, Texas! This year’s event will take place at the historic Fredonia Hotel and Convention Center and will focus on conserving plants native to the Pineywoods Ecoregion of East Texas. For more information, and to sign up to attend in person or virtually, please see the NPSOT […]

NPSOT Fall Symposium 2023

The NPSOT 2023 Fall Symposium is coming to Nacogdoches, Texas! This year’s event will take place at the historic Fredonia Hotel and Convention Center and will focus on conserving plants native to the Pineywoods Ecoregion of East Texas. For more information, and to sign up to attend in-person or virtually, please see the NPSOT Fall […]

NPSOT Spring Symposium

Save the Date for this hybrid event! More information to come... Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center4801 La Crosse Avenue, Austin, TX 78739

2024 Ashe Juniper Symposium

The 2024 Ashe Juniper Symposium by Biodiversity Works will take place on May 8th and 9th, 2024 at the Commons Conference Center in Austin, Texas. The goal of the symposium is to advance our collective understanding of the science of Ashe juniper and facilitate applications of this understanding into management and conservation of sustainable, resilient […]

NPSOT Fall Symposium

Sign up now for this hybrid event hosted in New Braunfels, Texas! More information can be found here

The Camp Bullis Sentinel Landscape Partnership

Comal Conservation Community Program - January 2025 McKenna Events Center801 W San Antonio StNew Braunfels, TX 78130 Daniel Oppenheimer, Land Management Director at the Hill Country Alliance, will talk about the Camp Bullis Sentinel Landscape (CBSL) Partnership. This Partnership is a locally led, collaborative group focused on conserving natural resources, strengthening military readiness, and bolstering […]

Just Dig It! Native Landscaping Seminar

Keynote Speaker: Neil Diboll  Prairie Garden Design Principles, presented by Neil Diboll (via Zoom): Neil will share his expertise in plant selection, garden layout, and integrating native prairie species into […]

$40

About the Region

Fall Symposium 2025 Logo - Teach for the Future

Salado, the location of our Fall 2025 Symposium, lies at the intersection of two ecoregions: the Edwards Plateau (Limestone Cut Plain) and Blackland Prairie (Northern Blackland Prairie).

The Edwards Plateau area is also called the Hill Country; however, this general term covers a much larger area extending farther north. Spring-fed creeks are found throughout the region; deep limestone canyons, rivers, and lakes (reservoirs) are common. Ashe juniper is perhaps the most common woody species found throughout the region. Additional woody species include various species of oak, with live oak (Quercus fusiformis) being the most common. Sycamores (Platanus occidentalis) and bald cypress (Taxodium distichum) border waterways. This area is well known for its spring wildflower displays, though they may be viewed in spring, late summer, and fall, as well. According to Texas Parks and Wildlife, average annual rainfall in the Edwards Plateau ranges from 15 to 34 inches.

The Blackland Prairie extends from the Red River south to San Antonio, bordered on the west by the Edwards Plateau and the Cross Timbers, and on the east by the Post Oak Savannah. Annual rainfall averages 30 to 40 inches, with higher averages to the east. This region is dominated by prairie species. The most common grass species include little bluestem (Schizachyrium scoparium) and Indian grass (Sorghastrum nutans) in the uplands and switchgrass (Panicum virgatum) in the riparian areas and drainages. Common herbaceous flowering plants include salvias, penstemons, and silphiums. This area has suffered greatly from overgrazing and agricultural use. Few intact areas remain, though many of the plants can be found along county roadsides throughout the region.

Our fall Symposium host chapter, the Tonkawa Chapter, includes both of these ecoregions.

Source: Wildflowers of Texas by Michael Eason